PESHAWAR, Oct 30: The implementation of reforms in the provincial health sector during the 2002-03 financial year under the World Bank assisted provincial reforms programme has been regarded as “mixed” on the part of the funding agency.

According to official sources, although the bank has appreciated the provincial health department for doing well as far as implementation of various health sector programmes is concerned, the department’s performance has been termed marginally satisfactory in implementing institutional reforms and immunization programme.

The World Bank extended $90 million loan to the NWFP in the 2002-03 financial year to help it implement the three-year PRP in its first year of implementation.

A substantial amount of the loan was diverted to the provincial health sector in line with the loan conditionalities with an aim to introduce institutional reforms, improve health facilities across the province and enhance coverage of the provincial health sector.

In one of its recently compiled reports the lending agency has shown mixed reaction to the work of the health department.

“The reforms have done well in programmatic areas such as TB DOTS (directly observed treatment short course), polio and neo- natal coverage and the expansion of the lady health workers programme,” said the report, adding that the immunization programme moved slowly.

The government, according to the sources, has been advised on the part of the World Bank to take appropriate measures to achieve the bench marks set for the 2003-04 financial year - the second year of PRP’s implementation.

In this respect, the bank has observed in its report that “further progress would need adequate management attention to ensure activities are implemented as envisaged”.

“In view of the comments made by the World Bank viz-a-viz implementation of health sector reforms one can hope that the province would manage to get second tranche of $90 million from the bank under its structural adjustment credit (SAC) programme,” said an officer.

In an effort to qualify for the second tranche the lending agency has recently advised the provincial government to revamp its annual development programme for the 2003-04 financial year leaving the less important schemes from the purview of its over all development plan for the current financial year.

The pre-condition has been set for the government to reduce the number of schemes included in the 2003-04 financial year’s ADP.